Reckoning
by transmutejun
Summary: Takes place after the events of Gatchaman episode 88: Iron Beast Snake 828.


_This fic was written for the BOTP Mailing List Fic Swap Challenge. The topic was as follows:_

Remember that escaped prisoner the team was sent to track down? The one who caught and then bent G-1's birdrang in one hand? Who turned G-3's weapon into dust between his fingers? The only reason he was captured is because he impaled himself on G-2's cable gun. Well - he's back, he's mad and he's on the hunt for his captors.

_This fic takes place immediately after Gatchaman Episode 88._

88888

A harsh coughing sound broke the icy silence of the near darkness. Only a thin sliver of moonlight was visible through the iron bars that covered the window.

The coughing sound came again, along with a harsh gasp of breath… a frantic gulping of air, such as one would expect from a man who was drowning, grasping at the last chance of life.

But this man was not drowning. He was alive.

His throat was still sore, and he rubbed it ruefully. For the second time that day, he had underestimated the Science Ninja Team. Again, he regretted that he could not convince them to work for Galactor. They would have been high-ranking within the organization, and a benefit to all.

Instead, they chose to raise their futile protests against the inevitable Galactor victory. While useless, their petulant fighting had already delayed Leader X's plans for far too long.

And now, they had tricked him. They had been unable to defeat him in a fair fight, and so they had resorted to trickery with their childish toys. He had thought that they had a sense of honor, but apparently, they did not. Sergio spat in disgust on the floor.

Despite their abilities, they were dishonorable children, playing with toys. He had been wrong. They were not worthy of Galactor at all.

And… there had been something else.

The one who had struck him first… the Condor… when he had looked at his face, there had been something there.

Something familiar.

The Condor had attempted a neck chop, not realizing that Sergio had spent a decade developing every muscle in his body to resist such a blunt attack. It had bothered the Galactor Captain no more than the hit of a toddler would bother a grown man. Sergio had pushed the Condor back into the stone wall of the cell with ease. And then a few moments later, the Condor had approached him again, but he had not been fast enough, and Sergio had disarmed him easily. He had shoved the Condor's own gun into his surprisingly unprotected throat, and he had leaned his head back.

And Sergio had gotten a close look at the ninja's face. He sought back in his memories for a moment, and then he knew.

The Condor reminded him of Giuseppe Asakura.

Of course, he had only seen the boy's face, and not his whole head, thanks to that ridiculous helmet he wore. But the Galactor Captain had been close to Giuseppe Asakura. He had known him well enough that he could easily recognize him on a glance, and this boy had sparked that memory.

Even as he stood up, moved toward the exit, and prepared to make his way from Rotterdam Prison, the memories came flooding back. When he had been little more than a boy himself, he had had the incredible opportunity to undergo group training with Giuseppe Asakura. The man had been a Galactor legend: the best sharpshooter anyone had ever seen or heard of. It was said that he could hit the eye of a seagull flying over the ocean nearly forty miles away.

Although he had never witnessed such a thing, from what he had seen of the man, Sergio Ruiz had no doubt that it was true. Giuseppe Asakura was a true artist: someone who could work with a firing weapon as others would work in paint or clay.

And Sergio had learned from him.

At first, he had merely been a face among the crowd. But his talent and dedication to his work had brought him to Giuseppe's attention, and the two had become friends.

When he had heard that Giuseppe had defected from Galactor, taking his wife and child with him, and that he had attempted to betray them by giving their most valuable secrets to the ISO, Sergio had been disgusted. He could not believe that he had idolized a man who was such a piece of filth.

_We are Zero._

It was something that had been ingrained in him since birth, and a code that he lived by._Galactor_ was what mattered. _Galactor_ was the only thing that was worth fighting for, or dying for. To betray Galactor was to ally with the Devil himself, for anyone who resisted them was surely damned to Hell.

To betray the ultimate cause was to betray yourself.

_We are Zero._

The words comforted him, even as his rage grew.

Giuseppe had had a child; a son, if he recalled correctly. The boy had been killed with his parents.

Yet… the Condor's face looked as Sergio remembered Giuseppe's: stern, craggy, cool and confident. At least, he had been confident until Sergio had disarmed him and pointed his own weapon at his throat. The Condor was still a boy, and he did not have the ability to fight a seasoned Galactor operative.

He was about the right age.

Was it possible? Could this be Giuseppe's son?

If so, it would only be another reason to kill him. A blinding rage began to fill the Galactor Captain. That the Asakura family should have escaped their just punishment, and be thumbing their noses at Galactor by being a part of that detestable Science Ninja Team!

It was not to be borne. The Condor had to be assassinated. It was the _only_ justice that could come of this disgusting situation.

And Sergio Ruiz would be the one to do it.

The imposing purple-shrouded figure of Lord Katse stood at the end of the Great Hall, his form on the raised dais that allowed him to look down at everyone who came before him, not that many Galactors could top the towering height of Berg Katse.

"Captain Ruiz!" boomed the Galactor Leader. "Report!"

Sergio placed both palms together in vertical fashion, pressing them to the center of his chest so that his fingertips nearly brushed his chin. Then he separated his hands, placing them alongside his ears and wiggling them at the Galactor Leader.

"All hail to Galactor!" he cried.

"Yeah, yeah." Katse waved dismissively, already filling a nearby glass with red wine. "And stop that silly ear waving thing. Makes me cringe every time I see it. Between that, and these ridiculous costumes the Requisitions Department comes up with, we're the laughingstock of the Syndicate."

"I apologize, Lord Katse." Sergio replied, although his face was burning with anger. How dare Lord Katse make light of his most honorable salutation? It had been handed down through his family, and passed down through countless generations, to demonstrate their respect for the organization that had sustained them through the centuries.

He suppressed the surge of anger that rose up in him, and began to speak.

"I was successful in my mission, Lord Katse!" Sergio replied with as much respect as he could muster. It wasn't much. Berg Katse had once been the perfect Head of the Galactor Organization, bred and trained by Leader X himself. But in the last few months the man had obviously become unhinged. He was drinking far too much, and allowing himself to be defeated time and time again by the Science Ninja Team. His decisions were often rash, and made based on personal vindictiveness, rather than the benefit of Galactor as a whole.

The time had come to remove Berg Katse from power.

A different man might have wanted to seize power for himself. But not Sergio Ruiz. What mattered was not the trappings of power, but Galactor as a whole.

_We are Zero._

Galactor needed someone who could lead them to victory: their rightful domination over the planet. It didn't matter who that person was, as long as they could do the job.

Galactor _didn't_ need Berg Katse.

Sergio Ruiz kept these thoughts to himself as he continued his report.

"The traitor has been eliminated, and the Science Ninja Team arrived to find him already gone."

"Excellent!" Lord Katse smirked, gleefully rubbing his hands together. "But what about the Iron Beast Snake 828?"

"That was an unfortunate sacrifice." Sergio said. "I ordered my Men to destroy it in a suicide attack on the God Phoenix, but somehow the Science Ninja Team escaped. I am not certain how this happened, since I was disposing of the betrayer at the time."

"Well, in any case, that disgusting traitor is dead." Katse smirked. "Good job, Captain! That mecha was a piece of junk, anyway."

Sergio could tell that Lord Katse was pleased. But how could the Galactor Leader be pleased about the loss of a mecha that had cost significant amounts of resources?

Sergio knew that the reason Berg Katse had pursued this particular traitor had been personal. And he had been willing to sacrifice a brand new mecha to do it. A mecha that could have accomplished so much more for Galactor.

In a flash, Sergio knew that he could not admit his suspicions about the Condor's identity to Lord Katse. The man would only twist the information for his own ends, and destroy any valuable opportunities that might arise from it. Right now, the Condor had no idea that Sergio was still alive, much less that his identity might have been exposed. And Sergio intended to keep it that was until he could use it for the ultimate purpose of his destruction.

The destruction of the Science Ninja Team.

But first, Sergio had to determine if it was indeed possible that the Condor was Giuseppe's son, and then he had to come up with a plan.

His honor had been tarnished by their underhanded tactics. He alone had to clear the stain, to confirm himself worthy of his high Galactor rank. He had to kill the Condor, to punish the Asakura family for their arrogance and presumption in betraying Galactor. He had to destroy the Science Ninja Team, so that Galactor could accomplish its ultimate goal.

The Science Ninja Team would not trick him again.

He would be ready.

The moment he left Lord Katse's audience chamber, Sergio headed toward the Central Galactor Library. Fortunately, he was at Cross Karokorum, and had access to_all_ of Galactor's vast databases. Satellite Bases usually only had limited data on site, to prevent too much of a security leak, in the event that they were captured by the ISO. Unfortunately, this happened all too often.

After confirming his priority clearance with the Librarian, Captain Ruiz was escorted to a secure workstation chamber, to which he had to gain access through a retinal scan and a more traditional fingerprint scan. Once he was settled, the guards escorting him left the room and closed the door. Sergio knew that they would be standing watch outside.

The first thing the Galactor Captain did was to call up all files on Giuseppe Asakura. Sergio stared at an image of the man he had known for a long moment. The Captain's highly developed memory had not forgotten one line of his former teacher's face. His recollection of the traitor was intact.

Next, Sergio called up all records on Giuseppe's family. After briefly skimming through the file on Giuseppe's wife, Sergio then opened the file on the traitor's son. It was brief, which was not surprising given that the boy had been but four years of age.

An image of the boy had been captured, as was regulated, on his last birthday. The child's face stared back at him.

His fourth birthday. Most children would be happy on such a day, anticipating parties and presents. But not little Giorgio Asakura. His face appeared quiet, and scared.

The image had been captured three months before the Asakura family had defected from the Galactor Organization.

Sergio checked the date on the file. This image had been taken more than sixteen years ago. That would now make the boy barely twenty years old, if had he lived.

_Had_ he lived?

That was what Sergio Ruiz intended to find out.

A brief entry about one month old caught Sergio's eye. The record indicated that a man who had been _thought_ to be related to Giuseppe Asakura had been identified on BC Island, visiting the Asakuras' graves. Unfortunately, the man had been killed before he could be questioned, being caught in the middle of a firefight between Galactor and the Science Ninja Team. When the body had been recovered, its face had been too badly shot up to be identified, and DNA tests had proven to be inconclusive. The official record now stated that it was believed that this man had _not_ been an Asakura.

But Sergio began to wonder.

Carefully, the Galactor Captain copied the image into an alteration program, employing computer models to age the boy by sixteen years, using the faces of both of his parents at the same age as a reference.

The face that now stared back at him was chillingly familiar.

But he had to be_completely_ sure.

In another window, Sergio accessed the large Galactor server dedicated to storage and analysis of information on the Science Ninja Team, narrowing down his field of focus to those files relating to the Condor. The Captain found the best footage Galactor had of the man. It was only a few seconds in duration, showing the Condor facing the imaging device and glaring at it for a moment, before shooting the lens and preventing further recording.

Sergio paused the playback to show the Condor's full face on the screen. It was a grainy capture, but clear enough for the Captain's purposes.

Next, Sergio returned to the image of the computer-aged Giorgio, removing the hair and superimposing the image first next to, and then over, the true Condor's face.

There was no doubt. It was the same man. Sergio's own memories from that very afternoon confirmed it.

Giorgio Asakura was the Condor.

Sergio spent the next few hours going through the other data that had been collected on the Condor. He was said to be a superb marksman, as Giuseppe had been, and was a skilled driver, in addition to a fierce, deadly fighter.

Of course, he was not_that_ fierce a fighter, Sergio thought wryly. The Captain had defeated him easily, and it had only been the Condor's trickery with his toy gun that had led to Sergio's defeat.

He would _not_ make that mistake again.

An interesting addition to the file caught Sergio's eye. Not too long ago, Berg Katse had ordered the construction of a new weapon called the Meganizer. This weapon had been designed to cause the Science Ninja Team to transform back into their civilian selves. Unfortunately, the device had not been perfected when Lord Katse had ordered it deployed, and it had quickly overheated and been destroyed when the Galactor Leader had attempted to use it on the actual Science Ninja Team.

However, one interesting piece of data had been discovered. The weapon had previously been tested on the Condor, who had been driving in his G2 vehicle alone. The Condor had gotten out of the vehicle to fight the Galactor Soldiers, but before he had done so, the men operating the Meganizer had attempted to use it on the car. Due to the distraction of the heated encounter with the Science Ninja, it had only been discovered afterward that the weapon had reacted differently to the car, than it had to the man inside. The type of frequency used for the vehicle was different from the one used for the Birdstyle, although they were similar.

Since the deployment and subsequent destruction of the original Meganizer, a newer, more powerful version, had been under construction. Using this new information, combined with previous data obtained from analysis of the Swan's shoe, which had been recovered in a garbage chute, the Science Ninja Team's new transformation sequences had been analyzed, and apparently cracked. Galactor scientists believed that they had discovered the secret to the Birdstyle transformation frequencies.

The Science Ninja Team all had _different_ transmutation frequencies.

In hindsight, it made sense, of course. If they didn't have different frequencies, they would all trigger each other's transformations. But the signals were close together, enough to all be within a limited range.

Meganizer's flaw had been that it had tried to cover _all_ of these frequencies at once, which was why it had been mechanically stressed, and had eventually overloaded.

Galactor researchers were reasonably certain that they had discovered the new individual frequencies, and the new weapon was currently being designed to focus on those specific signals.

Sergio delved further into the analysis of the Condor's personal transformation frequency, and how it varied with that of his car.

Yes… that was it.

He knew what he wanted to do.

It took Sergio a few days to deal with the technical aspects of his plan, and then he spent another few remotely scanning the area around Utoland, looking for any sign of the Condor. Galactor Intelligence was fairly certain that the Science Ninja Team resided there, even more so now that one of their agents had managed to infiltrate their secret lives, apparently tracking them to some kind of club where young people spent their free time and posing as a hippie to gain employment there. Unfortunately, the agent had betrayed Galactor at the last minute, refusing to describe the true faces of the Science Ninja Team, and instead dying in an attempt to save two of them.

It was traitors of this sort that Sergio Ruiz could not stand. Did the Galactor credo mean nothing to these people?

Regardless, the agent had indeed been able to confirm that Utoland was where the team spent their time, when not on duty, and so Sergio felt confident focusing his efforts there. He needed to wait and catch the Condor alone. He did not want the rest of the Science Ninja Team to be aware of what he had done. Once the Condor had been eliminated, the rest of them would crumble like a termite-infested house.

Fortunately, his patience paid off.

About a week after he had encountered the Science Ninja Team inside Rotterdam Prison, the Galactor Captain caught the signal of the Condor's transformation coming across his scanning device. Carefully following the technical guidelines he had spent days developing, he reversed the signal to the same location, piggybacking a communications frequency on top of his transmission.

At first, he thought it hadn't worked.

But then, after a few moments, the face of the Condor came into view. He was obviously driving, and his look of surprise at seeing Sergio's face on the other end of the transmission made all of the Galactor Captain's efforts worthwhile.

"You!" he spat, moving his arms on the vehicle controls. The Condor came to a stop, then turned to his monitor, glaring at Sergio through his purple-tinted visor.

"What the hell are you doing on this frequency?" he demanded crossly.

"It was not that difficult to determine the correct frequency for transmission to the G2." Sergio replied smugly, enjoying his enemy's shock and anger.

"You're alive." The Condor stated the obvious. "How?"

"That hardly matters." Sergio laughed mirthlessly. "I think that we have more interesting matters to discuss."

"Who the hell are you, anyway?"

"My name is Sergio Ruiz." the Galactor Captain introduced himself. "Would you care to do me the same courtesy by introducing _yourself_, Condor Joe?"

"I don't think that's necessary."

"You're quite right, Giorgio."

The Galactor Captain saw a slight twitching around the Condor's mouth. His enemy scowled angrily.

Good. Sergio had gotten to the man. He was angry, and thinking only of his emotions. Now the Galactor Captain would drop the bait.

"I know who you are." Sergio continued, outwardly oblivious to his enemy's growing fury. "You are Giorgio Asakura, son of Galactor defectors Giuseppe and Katrina Asakura. But that is not important. What is important is the message I have to give you."

"And what is that?"

The low growl from the Condor might have made even Sergio flinch, if he had not already understood that _he_ was the one in the position of control.

His enemy just didn't know it yet.

"We have your mother." Sergio was to the point.

"My mother is dead."

"As it turns out, she is not. The woman who was killed with your father sixteen years ago was only a clone of your mother: a Galactor agent sent to keep tabs on him, and inform us if he attempted anything foolish… such as betraying our confidences to the ISO. How do you think we were able to time his 'punishment' so perfectly, only an hour before he intended to reveal classified data to Kozaburo Nambu?"

"These are Galactor lies!"

"I understand that you may not like this information, but it is the truth." Sergio replied smoothly. "Your mother has been a prisoner at Galactor Base 63219 since you were three years old."

"This is not possible."

"But I assure you, it_is_ possible. And now that I know who _you_ are, I am glad that we decided not to eliminate her. As it turns out, she will be very useful to us."

"How?"

"She will give us_you_."

"You're crazy. This woman knows nothing about me."

"But _you_ know about _her_." Sergio whispered insidiously. "We will release her, into the custody of Kozaburo Nambu if you wish, on one condition."

"Which is?"

Sergio stared at the Condor's face. The man was not unintelligent, and it was clear that he knew where this was heading. It was time to confirm his suspicions.

"That you surrender yourself to us."

"That's not going to happen. I would die before surrendering to Galactor."

Briefly, a feeling of regret passed through Sergio Ruiz. If this man could be convinced of the rightness of Galactor's purpose, this kind of loyalty could be a tremendous asset to their organization.

The Captain shook it off. This man was his enemy. He was without honor. He had _tricked_ him with a childish toy, rather than facing him in a fair fight. He was nothing more than a petulant boy who deserved to be punished.

Sergio's righteous anger filled him again, and he smiled evilly as he responded.

"I think you will. You must come in exactly four hours to the co-ordinates that are being transmitted. You must be alone, without the aid of your fellow Science Ninjas. You must be prepared to completely surrender. Any failure to comply with these conditions will result in an immediate change to your mother's status."

"Change?"

"Since we now know of her relationship to you, if you do not come, we will be forced to… interrogate… her."

The Condor's face visibly blanched as he correctly interpreted Sergio's meaning.

The Galactor Captain did not allow his enemy to respond further. He had said all that was necessary to say.

"I will see you in exactly four hours." Sergio said, before ending the transmission.

The Galactor Captain leaned back in his chair, gloating over the success of his interaction with the Condor.

Everything had gone_exactly_ as planned.

Three hours later, Sergio himself arrived at the designated co-ordinates: an abandoned Galactor Base approximately two hours away from Utoland. He had left the Condor just enough time to stew over his predicament, accept his fate, and make the journey.

Now all he had to do was wait.

Five minutes before the deadline, sensors picked up a small plume of dust on the horizon, signaling an approaching vehicle. A moment later, that vehicle was confirmed to be the G2.

The Condor was alone.

Sergio smirked to himself. His plan was coming together beautifully, and it wouldn't be long before he had his revenge. He could hardly wait to grasp the Condor's throat, squeezing the life out of his enemy with his bare hands…

But for the moment, he had to concentrate on closing his trap. It would be terrible to lose the man now, after Sergio had come so far in securing his capture.

The Galactor Captain opened a hatch on the side of the mountain in which the Base had been built, allowing the Condor entrance. The G2 obligingly drove inside.

Sergio remotely closed the hatch, then spoke over the Comm System to his prisoner.

"Please exit the vehicle. If you attempt to fire its weapons or cause any trouble, our agreement is voided, and the consequences we discussed earlier will apply."

It took a moment, but his prisoner eventually emerged from his car. He walked a few steps away, looking around at the empty room.

"Now what?" he shouted angrily.

Sergio knew that it was entirely possible that the Condor had just signaled his team to converge on his position. The Galactor Captain hoped that was the case. But the time anyone arrived, it would be too late for the Condor. Then the rest of the Science Ninja Team would be easily defeated.

"Remand yourself into the custody of the guards." Sergio instructed remotely, watching as the five soldiers he had taken with him nervously approached the Condor. When the ninja made no protest, they eventually overcame their initial fear, and were able to use the arm restraints that had been provided to them. The Galactor Captain watched with growing anticipation as his captive was led down the hallway, and finally to the room in which Sergio was waiting.

"Come in!" he ordered, taking his position.

The guards stood to the side, prodding the Condor with the ends of their rifles, indicating that he should enter the room. Once he had, they stood back, letting the door close behind him.

The Galactor Captain and the Condor were alone.

"You have made the correct decision." Sergio stated.

"I couldn't let an innocent woman suffer on my behalf." the Condor scowled.

"What a noble sentiment." Sergio smiled. "It is too bad that the woman in question does not exist. I am sure that she would appreciate…"

"Does not exist?"

The Condor's eyes were blazing with a mad fury. Sergio could see his muscles rippling and bulging under his uniform as he unsuccessfully attempted to pull off his restraints.

Sergio laughed openly now at his enemy's anger. It soothed him, filling him with confidence and calm.

"I am sorry for the deception, but it was the only way I could get you here, Giorgio." Sergio apologized, once the Condor had calmed down enough to understand what was being said. "After all, we have some unfinished business we must attend to."

"Which is?" his enemy growled.

"Your execution." Sergio replied. "You escaped Galactor justice at the age of four. You have committed numerous atrocities against our organization since that time. There is only one justifiable result."

"Get on with it then." the Condor said coldly, pulling himself up to his full height. He was nearly as tall as Lord Katse, and cut an impressive form, even in his restraints. "If you're going to kill me, why are you hesitating?"

"I am not hesitating." Sergio said calmly, pressing a button on the control panel.

With a loud clank, the Condor's restraints fell off, and immediately the ninja flew at the Galactor Captain, his leg coming down to kick Sergio in the chest.

Sergio did not move, instead anticipating his opponent's blow and twisting his body slightly to absorb it so that it caused him no pain. He grabbed the Condor's heel, casually flinging him across the room, where the man's head crashed against a metal wall.

His enemy stood up, slightly dazed.

"Is that the _best_ you can do?" Sergio taunted him. The Condor flipped head over heels before his captor had even finished speaking, landing in front of the Galactor Captain and landing blow after blow on his body.

Sergio laughed, easily brushing off the attacks and twisting his enemy's arm until he heard the delightful sound of snapping bone. He released his enemy, dropping him to the floor and sneering as he watched the Condor groaning and cradling the remnants of his right arm in his left. His leg shot out in a kick, but Sergio merely stepped on his enemy's thigh, effectively pinning the boy to the floor underneath his massive boot.

"Your attacks are ineffective." he told the betrayer. "The toys you laughingly call weapons are useless against me. There is no trickery for you to resort to now. It is time to end this pathetic excuse at resistance."

Sergio grabbed the Condor's throat in both hands, squeezing tightly, feeling the man's life ebbing beneath his thick, muscled fingers. He gloated, reveling in his victory, knowing that the end of the Science Ninja Team was at hand.

Sergio gasped, his own breath caught in his throat as a large arm snaked around his neck.

"Let him go."

The order came from directly behind him, from a voice he did not recognize. Instinctively, Sergio disobeyed, tightening his grip around the Condor's neck even as his victim beat at him ineffectually with his one remaining arm and his unpinned leg.

"I said let him go!"

Sergio choked, and found himself grabbing for his own neck, the Condor collapsing to the floor like a rag doll as he was released. Sergio pulled at the arm around him, yanking on it and throwing his assailant over his own head, so that he landed on top of the defeated man in front of him.

The Owl stood up, moving past the battered body of the Condor to assume an attack stance, clearly not in the least disturbed by this change in circumstances.

"Another Science Ninja." Sergio sneered. "I should have known. You have already proven that you can't be trusted, after all. But I am wise to your little tricks. Are you all here? Come out and show yourselves!"

His answer came in the form of multiple attacks: a small explosion to his back, a sharp slice along his ribcage, and a tangle forming around his legs. He laughed to see the pathetic toys of the Science Ninja Team surrounding him, easily shaking off their effects as he approached his new target.

The Owl appeared to be much more formidable than Sergio had been lead to believe. While he was not as large as the Galactor Captain, he was clearly well-versed in fighting moves, and from his attack on Sergio from the rear, it had been clear that he knew how to effectively employ them.

Sergio considered his options only for a moment, then ran toward the green and brown clad man, meeting him with a tremendous crash as they grappled with each other, sumo-style. But the Galactor Captain found himself unable to completely thwart his opponent's attacks, and had to shift to more defensive maneuvers than he was used to. He changed his grip again, squeezing the Owl's sides with a strength that would have crushed an ordinary man within seconds.

But the Owl was no ordinary man. He pushed on Sergio's chest, compressing his body over and over again until the Galactor Captain heard one of his ribs snap.

Before he knew it, Sergio had his back to the wall, and the Owl's fearsome face was positioned next to his.

"Stop this, or die." he roared.

"_We are Zero…_"

Surrendering was not an option. Sergio grabbed the Owl's left arm and twisted it, yanking to dislocate his opponent's shoulder. He was pleased to see the man stumbling back in shock and pain.

"Now," Sergio shouted, a righteous anger filling him, "you shall _all_ die for your presumption in defying Galactor!"

"Perhaps."

The soft, calm voice came from the Galactor Captain's right, and the feel of cold steel embedded itself in his ear.

"I believe you remember my 'toy'." hissed the Condor.

There was a blinding pain inside the skull of Sergio Ruiz.

"Why did you kill him?" Ken demanded, stalking over to where the Condor was calmly wiping the bloody end of his gun barrel on the Galactor Captain's uniform.

"He was insane." Joe replied casually, inspecting his gun and re-holstering it before he continued. "There was no way he would ever have told us anything useful. He was going to kill us all. He would have killed me, if it hadn't been for Ryu."

"Glad to help." Ryu grinned broadly.

"You took it upon yourself to disobey orders." Ken lectured Joe. "Haksae wanted us to question him, but that wasn't good enough for you, was it?"

"Look, Ken, call it whatever you want, but it's done." Joe glared, cradling his broken right arm. "Good riddance, I say. We should have made sure he was dead the first time we encountered him."

"I think he's right, Ken." Jun said softly, placing her hand on Ken's shoulder. "You remember how he was in Rotterdam. He wouldn't have stopped until he had killed us all, or was killed himself."

The Eagle seemed to deflate somehow, nodding and angrily turning away.

"What's done is done. Let's just get back to the God Phoenix and report to Hakase." he commanded. "Jun, take Joe and Ryu to the Medical Bay and see to their injuries. Jinpei, download anything useful you can find from that computer system and then destroy the base."

The Science Ninja Team nodded, following their Leader's orders as the blank eyes of Sergio Ruiz stared up at them.

_We are Zero…_

It had only been in the last moment of his life, that Sergio Ruiz had understood this truth.


End file.
